No fewer than three officials of the Kano State Road Traffic Agency were hospitalised after they were attacked by an angry mob following a road accident along the Kano-Zaria highway.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at Kwanar Dawaki on Zaria Road after a speeding trailer reportedly rammed into a Sharon commercial bus that had been stopped by KAROTA officers for a routine inspection.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Thursday, the agency’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Ibrahim Sharada, said several passengers sustained injuries when the bus somersaulted after the collision.
According to the statement, the second-in-command of the KAROTA patrol team on Zaria Road, Ibrahim Abubakar Ibrahim, explained that the patrol team had stopped the commercial bus before the trailer crashed into it.
“The Sharon commercial bus was stopped by the team for a routine check when suddenly the truck driver, who was speeding, rammed into the passenger bus, causing it to somersault several times. As a result, many passengers sustained serious injuries,” the statement said.
The agency said some youths at the scene, angered by the accident, turned on the traffic officials and assaulted them, leaving at least three personnel with serious injuries.
“When they saw how some of the passengers were injured, the group launched an attack on the KAROTA personnel, inflicting serious injuries on them,” the statement added.
KAROTA said the truck driver fled the scene while emergency efforts were focused on rescuing the injured passengers and its personnel.
Reacting to the incident, the Managing Director of KAROTA, Faisal Mahmud Kabir, appealed to residents to cooperate with traffic officers and other uniformed personnel carrying out their official duties.
“Members of the public should respect and support uniformed officers on duty. They are not enemies of society but government representatives working to maintain law and order on our highways,” Kabir said.
He also commended KAROTA personnel for their commitment and sacrifices in ensuring road safety across the state.
The incident comes amid recurring complaints by motorists over the activities of KAROTA operatives on major roads in Kano. Some road users have accused the agency of mounting excessive checkpoints and extorting commercial drivers, allegations that have continued to generate public debate.
